Don't Ask, Don't Tell
by purplemonkey124
Summary: AU. Harry lives with Sirius after 4th year. He and Ron have found a new bond has formed between them. While Ron's parents seemed to have taken it well, Harry isn't so sure about Sirius. When Sirius finds them in a compromising position, he finds out just what Sirius thinks of their relationship. Warnings: Slightly sexual encounter, non graphic abuse.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** **I really do not want to abandon my other fic "Flash of Red". I just have lost a bit of momentum with more story plots. If anybody has any ideas, feel free to message me! This plot just pooped up in my head the other night for some reason, and I couldn't let it go. Plus I haven't written anything in so long on here due to a crazy semester! Not sure if I want to leave it where it is, or continue. Enjoy! R &R**

"Boys! Dinner's ready! Get down here!" They heard Sirius yell up to them from the kitchen below.

"Coming!" Harry shouted back down. Ron stood and offered a hand up to Harry who took it gratefully. Once they were both on their feet, Ron stole a small pick on the lips, before Harry pulled back quickly and whispered,

"Not now Ron! Not here! He could come up any second!"

"I thought you were going to tell him at dinner anyways?" Harry was looking at the door anxiously as though he was expecting to see his godfather standing right there in his doorway.

"I was—AM. I just want to tell him before he accidentally see's us in a rather awkward position if you know what I mean." Ron gave him a small smile and there was a glint in his eyes that was somewhat mischievous. Harry loved that look. Ron's smile seemed to melt his heart every time.

"Alright fine. No more kissing for now. Well c'mon then. Let's go eat. I'm starved." He ruffled raven hair before running out the door and down the stairs while Harry chased him down. Sirius gave a small chuckle as they sat at the table.

"One of these times you won't get down those stairs without injury you know." He chuckled again. "Hope Chinese takeout is okay with you both. I didn't have the energy to cook something up myself."

"Perfect! Mum never gets takeout. Says it'll clog arteries or whatever." He dug his fork straight into a nearby white carton and Sirius and Harry watched in fascination as he stuffed food in his mouth. He looked up at them and turned red.

"Wha-?" Harry held back a laugh.

"Ron, did you even look to see what you were eating before you shoved it in your face?" Sirius gave out a bark of laughter. Ron's ears turned red as he shrugged sheepishly and continued to eat, more slowly this time. The other two took that as their cue to start eating as well. Harry gave Ron a look and smiled at him with affection. They ate in a comfortable silence for a while before Harry finally realized that he never even heard Sirius leave earlier.

"Hey, when did you leave? We never heard you!"

"You guys sounded like you were having a good time. I heard some exploding snap going on. I was only going to be gone for a bit, so I didn't see the point in interrupting you." As an after thought he added, "Why is Harry Potter afraid to be left home alone?" He had a smirk on and Harry grumbled out a low "no" before glaring at the older man.

"You boys won't believe what I saw while I was gone though. I went to that takeout down the block. You know the one? Turns out that block is used for some other things as well. I passed a gay bar." Harry's fork stopped halfway to his mouth and his blood ran cold. This was the perfect time to bring up him and Ron.

"Really?" he gave a nervous laugh and he felt Ron's foot brush against his leg supportively. He was about to start the conversation that he was so dreading when something Sirius said stopped him dead.

"It was unnatural! Two blokes together? Really? I can't even imagine how one man could want to do that with another. It's disgusting." He was shaking his head and shoved another forkful of food in his mouth. He seemed to have missed the look on both of the faces across from him. Harry felt his heart sink and his heart beat rapidly in his chest. He gave Ron a sideways glance sighed softly. Apparently tonight was not the night after all. The rest of dinner was eaten in silence and some half-hearted conversation.

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The second they got into Harry's room, Ron closed the door behind them softly. Harry threw himself onto his bed face first with his legs hanging off the side, and let out a groan of frustration. Ron was leaning against the door watching him.

"How am I supposed to tell him when he goes and says things like that? He'll hate me Ron! I can't let him hate me!" He raised his head off of the mattress to look at Ron. The taller boy could see the fear and sadness in Harry's eyes and it gave him a pang in his stomach.

"You _will_ have to tell him at some point Harry. But it doesn't have to be right now. You can take time to try and figure out the best way-" Harry cut him off there.

"There is no best way Ron!" There was a hint of desperation in his voice that Ron couldn't ignore. "He has plainly stated that he thinks anyone who is gay is disgusting! He left no room for argument there. There will never be a good time to tell him anything because no matter what, he'll still think I'm disgusting Ron!" His voice cracked at the end and he felt his eyes start to burn. He quickly sat up and pushed his palm hard into his eyes.

Ron pushed off from the door and walked over to the bed and sat down next to the smaller boy. He knew that Harry was feeling self-conscious about their relationship tonight, so he refrained from grabbing him into an embrace like he wanted to, and instead just put an arm around him.

"Maybe because it's you, he'll be okay with it? I wasn't sure how mum and dad were going to react but they were okay with it. Sure they were a little shocked, but in the end they just cared that we were happy. You won't know until you try mate." Harry still hadn't moved from his position. "Harry look at me. C'mon please!" He took Harry's chin and brought his face up to look at him. His face was dry, but his eyes looked a little bit red.

"No matter what happens, you will always have me and mum and dad. Okay?" Harry nodded slightly and cleared his throat before speaking again.

"Okay. But I still need a bit of time I think."

"Of course mate. Take your time. There's no rush." He suddenly felt such a rush of gratitude and love for this red head sitting next to him.

"I love you, you know." He had barely finished his words before he pressed his lips to Ron's. Although a bit shocked at first, it didn't take long before Ron relaxed and kissed back, his hand immediately tangling in raven locks. He slid his tongue over Harry's bottom lip, seeking entrance and he happily obliged. This part was a well-practiced dance at this point. At some point they found themselves laying on the bed. Ron must have pushed him back because he was half laying on top of Harry.

He soon tore himself from Harry's mouth and attached himself quickly to his earlobe and down his neck. He found the pulse point that drove Harry crazy and sucked hard on it. Harry threw back his head to give Ron better access and let out a quiet moan. He felt Ron's warm hands travel underneath his thin t-shirt, running a hand over his flat stomach and chest. It sent a shiver down Harry's spine. Ron brushed a nipple with his thumb experimentally. Harry gasped and arched his back so Ron did it again and again, reveling in the fact that it was he who was making Harry like this, all flushed and writhing beneath him. Every time he felt his nipple being brushed he moaned and felt a jolt of pure pleasure go to his cock. He didn't know that he was so sensitive there. As he arched, he would come back down and thrust his hips against Ron's leg, which had traveled between his legs. This was getting into new territory for them. Up until this point they had only gone as far as some heavy snogging. They had never purposefully traveled to more erotic areas before, and now here they were, with Ron thumbing at his nipples, making him arch and rub his growing arousal against Ron's leg. Just as Harry was going to suggest taking things a bit further still, they heard the door to Harry's room open and a voice yelled "Oi!".

Harry and Ron broke apart so fast they nearly fell off the bed. They both stood quickly. Harry tried to fix his shirt and flatten his hair, but he could tell that he was still sporting a flush and he certainly was sporting something in another region as well. He pulled his shirt down further and could luckily feel himself begin to go limp. Ron was looking around the room with his ears bright red, looking anywhere but Sirius. Finally getting a good look at Sirius, Harry couldn't read his expression. He looked red as well, but there was an underlying look of shock, and dare he say it, disgust. This was his worst nightmare, and Harry knew things had finally come to a head.

"I just came up to see if you boys wanted to play a round of exploding snap. I see you found something else to pass your time." His voice sounded too quiet and calm for Harry's liking. They stood there in silence for a minute longer before Ron finally broke it.

"I think I should probably go. You two obviously have a lot to talk about."

"I think that's a good idea." Sirius said still not looking at Ron. His eyes had not left Harry's once and it was unnerving. Ron wanted to go and give Harry some reassurance and confidence, but he knew not to push the limits right now. He gave Harry a look that he hoped said "it'll be okay", and it seemed to have gotten through because Harry at least attempted a smile. Ron skirted out quickly behind Sirius and quickly flooed home.

After they heard Ron depart, they stood in silence a bit longer before Harry piped up,

"Sirius-"

"What the HELL was that Harry?! I come up expecting to find my godson and his MALE best friend playing a round of chess and come up to find that instead, my godson and his Male best friend are laying in a bed groping each other! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He interrupted the second Harry opened his mouth. "What are you gay now?! It's unnatural Harry! It's disgusting! Please tell me that this is all a joke!"

Harry had taken to looking down at his hands wringing together, just taking the yelling. The fact that Sirius thought that it was a joke made him speak up however.

"It's not a joke" he started in a small voice, "We've been together for two months now Sirius.

I love him. I was going to tell you at dinner but-"

Sirius went to grab his hair and let out a mortified groan. "Oh merlin! How can this happen? I thought you were better than this Harry! Your parents would be ashamed right now!" That statement hit Harry like a knife, knocking the wind out of his lungs. _What would his parents think? Were they against gay people like Sirius was?_ He felt a sob rise in his throat but held it down. Why was this happening now? He couldn't stay here. He would just have to leave for a bit and wait for Sirius to cool down and then they could sort this out. He made his way to the doorway only to be stopped by a rough hand grabbing his arm and spinning him around. He was in such shock at being handled this way that he didn't react right away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sirius growled. Harry fought to get out of his godfather's grip but failed.

"I'm going to the Weasley's. You need to calm down before we can talk about this!"

"Oh no you don't! You are not going anywhere near them right now! I'm taking you to St. Mungo's and I'm setting you up with a Mind Healer. They'll fix you."

"I don't need fixing Sirius! I need to leave!" He finally wrenched his arm free but Sirius was fast enough to grab hold again and gave him a backhand across the face. Between the force and shock of it all, Harry fell at his desk, hitting his side before landing in the desk chair. The wind was knocked out of him for a moment until he could gasp for air. He looked up at Sirius with fear and tears brimming his eyes. He couldn't tell if it was from pain or just that fact that Sirius had hit him in the first place. Sirius was standing there looking at him with a look of remorse, fear, and loathing. Harry couldn't stand to look at that face anymore. He couldn't stand knowing that he put that look on his face. He looked down and gently prodded the side of his face wincing.

"Get out." Sirius said in a monotone voice.

"But Sirius-" Harry sobbed.

"Get out! I am giving you 5 minutes to get your stuff and leave. If I come back and you're still here, so help me…" Sirius turned on the spot and left the room, and Harry heard his bedroom door close down the hall. He sprang up like lightening. He was gasping for breath and letting out sobs while he quickly collected his clothes and other important items and shoved them into his knapsack. Nothing had time to settle in and the only thought his mind could come up with was, _Get out. Hurry. Get out._ He didn't even give his room a once over before hauling his trunk into the hallway and down the stairs. He shoved his trunk into the fire place, grabbed a handful of floo powder, stepped in, and yelled "The Burrow!". Within seconds he felt himself spinning.

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He slammed down onto hard wooden floors seconds later. He had not prepared himself for landing and fell face first into the Weasley's living room. He could hear a tumble of footsteps running in his direction and got himself to his feet.

"Harry! Dear what's happening? Are you and Sirius in trouble? Are you okay?" Mrs. Weasley was the first to get to him and crushed him in an embrace before taking him by the shoulders and taking a physical inventory. She gasped when she the now bruised eye and cheek.

"how-" Harry cut her off.

"We-we're not in trouble Mrs. Weasley." Harry caught Ron's eye over her shoulder and he gave Harry a look of knowing and pity. "Can I stay here for a while? I'm sorry! I-I didn't know where else to go! H-he t-told me I h-had to leave and I didn't know w-where else to go!" His voice was cracking and going up in pitch, making him start to sound a bit hysterical. Maybe that wasn't too far off though. He did feel a bit crazy right now. So much had happened so quickly and his mind couldn't slow down enough for him to make any sense of it all. grabbed him in another embrace and shooed off the rest of her children besides Ron, who had gathered around when they heard Harry's frantic voice. Only him, Ron, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley remained. He buried his face in her shoulder and tried to catch his breath, feeling a familiar hand slide into his own and squeeze. He squeezed back in reassurance.

"Of course dear. Whatever you need. You stay here as long as you need to. We love you Harry. It's all going to be alright. You'll see." He let out one sob before taking a deep breath and straightening himself up. He parted from his pseudo mother and took his hand out of Ron's. He didn't want to look at any of them in the eye. He felt ashamed, embarrassed, shocked, and shaky. His adrenaline from packing so quickly had all but left him, and he was left with little energy. His shoulders slumped.

"Would you like some tea dear? We can sit and talk about what happened?" Harry was already shaking his head. His voice sounded small and childlike even to his own ears.

"Can I just go to bed? I'm really tired."

He heard her about to protest when Arthur stood in and muttered something to her. She sighed,

"Okay dear. Ron will take you upstairs. We don't have the cot ready so you'll have to share with him. I trust you boys not to do anything. Especially tonight. Ron, I have a bruise cream in your bathroom upstairs. Put that on his eye. We'll talk tomorrow Harry dear." He saw Ron nod before he wrapped his hand in Harry's again and began walking him up the stairs. He was just glad that the others stayed in their rooms as asked. He didn't want to answer any questions tonight.

When they got to Ron's room, he sat Harry down on the side of the bed and quickly wrapped him in his arms. He had one hand behind his neck, and the other was rubbing small circles on his back. He reveled in how Ron could calm him so easily. No words were needed. Ron seemed to know that it wasn't what he needed right now. He rested his head on Ron's shoulder and took some deep breathes, letting the familiar scent soothe him. After about 5 minutes in that position, Ron gave a final squeeze. When Harry gasped, he quickly let go and looked at Harry worriedly.

"What's wrong?" Harry lifted the left side of his shirt, and sure enough saw a big purple bruise starting to form just over his ribcage. Ron let out a gasp as well.

"He did this to you?" He asked in disbelief.

"He didn't really do this one. When he smacked me I fell into the desk. Must have hit it harder than I thought." He was muttering, saying the last statement more to himself. Ron's eyes looked suspiciously wet before he stood up.

"I'm going to get that bruise cream mum was talking about. Are you going to be okay here for a minute?" Harry nodded and Ron ran a hand through his hair soothingly before leaving. Harry sat there not moving an inch. He felt like he was in a dream. Surely this hadn't really happened had it? This was just some sort of sick nightmare that his mind had made up. In the morning he would wake up and everything would be back to normal. He knew he was just lying to himself. This had happened. Sirius had kicked him out and _hit_ him. The one thing he swore never to do. His thoughts were swirling so fast in his head. It made him feel a bit dizzy. He looked up when Ron came back in. His breath hitched at the sight of him. While usually his heart melted at the sight of his boyfriend, right now it was bringing him closer and closer to the edge that he was trying so hard to hold on to.

"Mum said this should take away most of the bruising by tomorrow." Harry reached to take the tube but Ron held it out of his reach. "Let me. Okay?" he said softly. Harry nodded and felt Ron sit next to him again, and he turned to face him. Ron got some of the minty smelling ointment and gently rubbed it onto the bruise around his right eye and cheek. He winced in pain at first, but soon the coolness of it relaxed his tense muscles. Harry just watched him wearily the whole time. When that was done Ron moved on.

"Take off your shirt and lay on you right side. I need to get to the other bruise." Harry was in no position to argue, so he slipped his shirt off slowly and painfully as his side stretched. He curled up on his right side so that his bare back was now facing Ron. He could almost laugh when he thought that not even an hour ago, he would have given anything to be laying on a bed with Ron with his shirt off. He held back his laugh however, thinking that Ron would think he was off his rocker, that he had finally cracked. His thoughts sobered as he felt the cool liquid on his side again, as well as Ron's hands. He couldn't understand how Sirius thought this could be wrong. Nothing had ever felt so right to him before. He had Ron, his best friend, his boyfriend, taking care of him. How could anybody feeling loved and _wanted_ be bad? Ron's touch was so gentle, loving, caring, that Harry couldn't help it when he finally felt tears sliding out of his eyes and across the bridge of his nose, hitting the orange bedspread beneath. His breath hitched slightly and a small sob escaped his mouth. The weight of everything that had happened was finally starting to sink in. It left him feeling hollow and sent waves of loneliness and despair rolling through him. Before he knew it, sob after sob were wrenching their way out of his chest and tears were pooling underneath his face. He didn't notice when Ron stopped his ministrations, but soon, he found himself being gathered by strong arms and pulled up against a solid chest. Ron sat against the headboard of his bed, with Harry nearly laying across his lap, curled into Ron's arms. He rested his head on the black hair, and whispered sweet little nothings into Harry's ear.

"Shh. It's going to be okay I promise. You'll get through this. WE will get through this. I love you so much Harry, more than you can know. You're beautiful. It's going to be okay. I love you." He kissed Harry's head.

His words only proved to undo him even further as he sobbed harder. His stomach was starting to hurt. He couldn't stop himself from shaking and couldn't seem to stifle any of the sobs. He let them roll over him one by one.

Minutes would go by, and he would calm enough to stare blankly at the walls and posters, before another wave would pull him under again. Eventually, even though he was still sobbing, the tears had dried up. His breathing wouldn't go back to normal though.

"Harry mate, you need to breathe okay? Take a deep breathe. I don't want you to make yourself sick." He did as he was told, and eventually with Ron rhythmically rubbing circles on his chest, he was able to finally control his breathing. He lay there, limp in Ron's arms, staring at nothing through eyes so swollen they were almost shut. He felt absolutely awful. He was tired, and his head now had a deep ache from his torrent. He was so tired that he barely noticed when Ron shifted him so that they were laying under the covers. He was curled up at Ron's right side, and his head was rested on Ron's chest. Before closing his eyes and succumbing to the blessed darkness, he felt a small kiss to his forehead and a whisper saying, "I'm so sorry. I love you Harry." With that his eyes closed, and he knew no more.


	2. The Morning After

He reached over to pull himself to the warmth that he knew was supposed to be next to him. When he reached for nothing but the mattress, he woke up completely. It took him a few moments to get his eyes to cooperate and open. It took another moment to orient himself. He groggily lifted a hand and rubbed at his gritty eyes and reached over for his glasses. It had to be late morning, for Ron had already woken and gotten dressed. As he looked at the clock on the bedside table, he was startled to find that it said 12:25 pm.

For a moment, Harry thought he had just woken up from a normal sleepover at Ron's. He usually felt happy and content when he woke up however, and he wracked his brain to figure out why he didn't feel that this time. It was then that he heard the ruckus coming from downstairs. He strained his ears to figure out what was happening.

"…what you did to him last night!" _That's Mrs. Weasley,_ he thought.

"I had to stay with him all night while he was hysterical!" _Was Ron fighting with his mother?_

"I'm sure that wasn't much of a sacrifice for you to stay in the same bed as him, huh? I have a right to see him! He's my godson!" The second he heard Sirius's voice, something in his brain clicked and he remembered. A sense of dread filled his stomach.

"After what you put him through yesterday, you have no right whatsoever to him!" Things were getting heated downstairs so Harry got out of bed to try and diffuse the situation. He kept quiet on the stairs and when he rounded the corner into the kitchen, he found Sirius and Mrs. Weasley standing on opposite sides of the table, both looking red faced. Ron was standing behind his mother glaring daggers at Sirius. _If looks could kill…_

"What's going on?" His voice was small and hoarse, _probably from crying last night._ Sirius spun around and when he spotted Harry, a mix of emotions were on his face. Harry saw relief, sadness, and….annoyance? Before Harry could think on it, he found himself being pulled into hug by Sirius. He immediately stiffened, and if Sirius noticed it, he simply ignored it and held on tighter.

"I'm so glad you're okay Harry. I was up all night worried about you! I'm so sorry! I should have never asked you to leave! It's just a phase and it'll pass. We just have to work together!" Harry felt his eyes sting, but being held by his godfather felt too good. He wasn't sure why he wasn't shying away. Perhaps it was because nothing like this had ever happened before? Maybe last night was all just the shock of walking in on his godson practically being felt up by another boy. Sure that was it. It was just a big shock. It probably would never happen again.

"C'mon Harry. Go get your stuff and we'll go home, alright? We'll fix this."

"Sirius, I don't think…" Mrs. Weasley was cut off by, to everyone's surprise, Ron.

"No! You can't take him! You hurt him! He had bruises everywhere from what you did to him! You can't just take him!" Harry pulled away from his godfather and gave Ron a look of warning.

"He's my godson and he belongs to me. Excuse me for not wanting him here with the boy who corrupted him in the first place! I saw the way you were all over him!" Sirius was red in the face and his voice was rising. Meanwhile, Ron's ears turned a dark shade of red.

"Now see here! You don't talk to my son that way! He did no such…"

"It's okay, I'll go!" Harry said loudly over everyone. He couldn't stand to hear them all fighting with each other. Especially over him. They all turned and looked at him, Sirius with a huge grin, and the Weasley's with identical frowns.

"Mate…." Ron began but was cut off by Harry again.

"It's fine Ron. I want to go back home. Sirius is right. It's probably best we stop anyways. It's just a phase anyways right?" Ron looked hurt and Harry felt awful, but it had to be done. It was a choice between Ron and having a family of his own. Right now, he wanted his family. If that meant that he and Ron had to take a break and be just friends again, so be it. He didn't even look at Mrs. Weasley. He couldn't bear to see the look of disappointment on her face.

"I'll just go get my stuff then". Once upstairs, he gathered his bag which he had not bothered to unpack last night. As he turned to leave, his path was blocked by a tall red-head. He gulped and slowly lifted his eyes to look into Ron's sad and confused blue ones.

"What are you doing mate? Do you not remember last night? He hurt you and kicked you out! You need to stay here! With me!" He sounded like he was pleading and Harry's heart broke. He couldn't stand hurting Ron, but he had to fix this.

"He's my family Ron. He's the only family I have. I need him. I can't lose him. If that means that we have to stop…..this…..than I think we should take a break…" His voice faltered and he broke eye contact to look down. He saw a hand moving towards his own, and quickly took a step backwards.

"I have to go." With a small glance back, he saw Ron standing in the middle of his room with a blank look on his face. When he got to the landing, he leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. He couldn't believe what he had just done. Slowly making his way back down to the kitchen, he saw the two adults standing where he left them, and glaring at each other. Once they saw Harry back, they badly hid behind fake smiles.

"That everything?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded and turned to Mrs. Weasley.

"Thanks for last night. I really appreciate it" He gave her a hug but pulled away quickly. He wanted to leave as soon as he could so he could get away from the hurt that was radiating from this house.

"If you need anything you know you are always welcome here dear." She gave him a knowing look and he nodded. He felt Sirius's hand on his shoulder steer him into the floo. A flash of green later and they were off.

He stepped out of the floo with Sirius following right behind him. He felt himself tense a bit. Usually when he would come home from the Weasley's, he would yell for Sirius and they would spend the afternoon catching up and laughing. Somehow, Harry didn't believe that would be happening this time. He startled when Sirius spoke up.

"Why don't you bring your stuff upstairs and I'll fix us something to eat?"

"Sure." Harry was ready for any excuse to be by himself for a moment. He hitched his bag over his shoulder and started upstairs. As he got to his room, he froze for a moment. In the chaos of his mind last night, he hadn't realized how much of a mess he had made. His bed coverings were rumpled, although he knew that it was probably from him and Ron. He shook himself to stop the thoughts of Ron and moved his eyes over to his dresser. Clothes were hanging out of the drawers, some of those drawers were falling out of their slots. There were clothes all over his floor as well. His eyes saw his desk next. The chair was pulled out and the items on his desk were spilled all over the desk and floor.

His eyes didn't want to move away from the scene, but he forced them to. Giving a heavy sigh, he threw his bag onto the floor and he set about straightening up. Once done he sighed and started back downstairs for lunch. Sirius had made a couple of ham sandwiches and crisps for them to eat. They did so in silence, until Harry decided he couldn't take it anymore.

"Sirius I'm sor-" he began but was cut off before he could finsh.

"No Harry, I'm sorry. What I did was inexcusable. While I still can't believe what you did, I shouldn't have reacted like that. It won't happen again, I promise." It all sounded so sincere that Harry couldn't help but feel guilty that he had shocked him like that.

"You shouldn't have had to see that. It shouldn't have even happened. But it's ok because it's over anyways." He ended in a whisper. Saying it out loud made it feel more real.

"Why would you do it though in the first place? Of all the people to experiment with and you picked a boy? Your best friend? It's wrong pup. It's not normal. It can't happen again you understand?" Harry's eyes stayed lowered to the ground but he nodded, not trusting his voice.

"Good. Well now you can focus on birds instead of blokes. What about Hermione? Ginny?" Harry stammered a bit and choked on his pumpkin juice.

"N-no! I- I mean they're great! But….no. They're both like my sisters. I could never…with them…" he trailed off at a small chuckle from Sirius.

"Mate, I'm just joking. But in all seriousness,….is there anyone? At Hogwarts maybe?" He sounded so hopeful, like he was pleading for there to be someone else. He wracked his brains for a name, and the first he could think of was,

"Cho! Chang! Cho Chang! I've like her for years." The answer seemed to please his godfather, who had a wide grin on his face.

"Well then, now you can focus on her. You should owl her. Maybe she could come for dinner one night?" He was chuckling softly to himself and continued to eat his food. Harry gave an attempted small laugh and took a bit of his sandwich.

Ten minutes later and they were finishing cleanup in the kitchen.

"Well how do you want to spend the day? Flying? Go into town?" Harry didn't think he had the energy.

"Actually I'm pretty tired. Didn't sleep well last night you know…" Sirius's face fell so he quickly added, "The cot wasn't very comfortable! That's all!" He hated lying, but he didn't think Sirius would appreciate him having spent the whole night cuddled up in Ron's arms. He felt the back of his throat burn as he thought of lying with Ron. When Sirius gave an understanding look and nodded his approval, he took that as his permission to leave.

He got to his room and was surprised to find Ron's owl, Pig, sitting on the open window sill.

"What have you got there?" He untied the letter from his leg and unrolled the parchment. His heart skipped a beat when he recognized Ron's writing.

 _Harry,_

 _I hope this will make you happy._

 _Ron_

That was all there was to it. He even went as far as turning it over, but there was nothing else. He could feel what little part of his heart that was still together, break into tiny little pieces. He lay down on his bed, curled up, and crushed the letter in his hands. He felt the burning back in his throat, and didn't try to stop it this time. He felt a couple tears make their way over the bridge of his nose, and shut his eyes.


End file.
